


An Outing

by LadyoftheWoods



Series: Sanders Sides [21]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22656214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyoftheWoods/pseuds/LadyoftheWoods
Summary: Virgil, Deceit and Remus spend some quality time together, and fluff ensues.
Series: Sanders Sides [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594594
Comments: 11
Kudos: 83





	An Outing

“Aaaand we are lost.” Virgil said, looking around. 

“We’re not lost, I have the map right here.” Milo muttered, turning it first one direction, then another. 

“Right. Cause totally not lost people do that to the map when reading it.” He replied sarcastically. 

“Pardon me for not being a master of cartography.” Milo deadpanned back, making Virgil laugh. “Besides, we can’t possibly be lost, Remus, you made this place, where are we?” Milo asked, turning to the creative side, who was humming. 

“What? Oh, let me see.” He answered, taking the torn and tattered map in his hands. He squinted at it, made a few appreciative noises, stroked his mustache, licked the map, then shrugged, crinkling it into a ball and throwing it over his shoulder. 

“I don’t fuckin know.” Deceit half heartedly groaned, smiling, and Virgil let out a laugh so hard he snorted.

“You are the worst.” Milo muttered, making Remus laugh harder and Virgil snicker. Remus slung an arm over Dee’s shoulders. 

“C’mon, you know you love it! Adventure is out there!” He gestured at the forest around them, a mini rainbow spreading from hand to hand for a moment before fading away. 

“Wait, if you’re the boyscout or whatever, and Mi is the old guy, does that mean I’m Doug?” Virgil asked, catching the Up reference immediately. 

“Please, Patton is Doug. You, my friend, are Kevin.” Remus replied. 

“Secretly digs colors, likes to hiss, hoards things, lives in a foreboding and mysterious home. Checks out. You are a large, colorful, flightless bird with little bird babies.” Milo reasoned, and Remus clapped his hands, eyes lighting up. 

“If you are about to turn me into a bird I swear to god, Ree.” Remus shook his head. He bit his lip, clearly seeing something, and then clapped his hands. Suddenly they heard a rustle in the undergrowth. Two heads whipped towards the sound, Remus bouncing giddily on the balls of his feet. 

Out came three tiny little puffs of brilliant violet feathers, looking a bit like baby emus. Then their little heads popped up from the fluff and Virgil was looking at tiny versions of his head atop a bird’s fluffy body. 

“Oh my.” Milo said, kneeling down to scoop up one of the puff balls, which promptly hissed at him. The other two climbed up Virgil with surprisingly and unsettlingly sharp talons, each settling on a shoulder. They were surprisingly soft, and he found they made little contented hissing noises as they settled down. 

“Wow. That is… weird.” He commented, examing closely the little bird Milo was holding, which was angrily biting his thumb with pointed sharp teeth. 

“They have your feistiness, that’s for sure.” Milo replied, laughter in his voice as the little chick hopped out of his hand and onto Virgil’s head, nestling down into his hair. 

“Do not show these to Patton. He will one thousand percent want one and I cannot deal with a bunch of baby bird mes running around the mindscape, as cute as they may be.” Virgil absently petted the back of one of the puffs, loving its softness. 

“Did you just call yourself cute?” 

“I can think a few stronger words to describe his physique.” Remus replied, doing his shoulder wiggle, making Virgil’s face blush crimson. 

“It’s totally not cute when you do that.” Milo commented, making Virgil groan and pull his hood tighter, much to their amusement. 

“Staaaahhhp. You’re upsetting the mini me’s” Was his whined reply, two sets of mismatched eyes peeking out from under his hood. 

“I thought being dramatic was my department! Come on out of the hood, stormy. The best part is right around the corner.” 

“I thought you didn’t know where we were?” Milo replied. Remus shrugged. 

“I didn’t. But I’ve got a sense of the place, and the thing I wanted to show you is right over… there!” He spun, pointing his finger towards a break in the trees. 

“Ok, ok. Y’know it’s been awesome so far, right Ree? Like, it’s actually… a lot less scary in here than I thought it would be. It’s actually… pretty.” Virgil said, lowering his hood, voice shifting from the joking tone he’d been using all afternoon as they’d bantered back and forth, teasing and talking and exploring the weird world of Remus’s creation. It was Remus’s turn to flush slightly pink, rub the back of his neck. 

“Depends on the day. When I’m in a good mood, it tends to be less terrifying and death inducing, and more… abstract and conceptual. On a bad day…” He trailed off, remembering twisted monsters, all teeth and flesh and squelching ooze, screams that sounded human shaking the landscape as acid rained from the sky, melting the skin off of creature’s bones, the sickly sweet smell of charred flesh decaying after he’d set everything ablaze. “Don’t ever come in here without me, especially on a bad day.” He finished simply, shuddering at the thought of one of his monsters finding them alone, unable to avoid picturing what would happen if he couldn’t get there in time. 

“We won’t. Ever. Promise, Ree.” Virgil replied, softly serious, as he squeezed Remus’s hand, bringing him out of his own head. 

“Yes, I would totally love to wander around in here without an escort. Sounds delightful.” Milo replied, clapping his hands together. Remus rolled his eyes. 

“No need to be rude, snake face. What do your scales taste like anyway? Are they salty? Are they cold or warm? I bet they taste like a pole in winter that you lick but it’s too cold and when you back away it rips all the skin off the top of your tongue and then you’re drinking your own blood until you choke on it and the other students find you lying in the snow dead!” Remus exclaimed, laughing manically before calming again, hands squeezed into fists. 

“what the fuck dude?” Virgil asked, but he was smiling as he bumped Remus’s shoulder softly, letting him know it was ok, he didn’t mind, he understood and accepted and it was alright. Strange how such a small gesture made him want to cry. 

“Do not lick my scales.” Milo replied simply. 

“Oh I won’t lick the ones on your face, DeeDee!” He trilled, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows, making Deceit splutter and turn pink, and Virgil burst into laughter at his offended, shocked, and slightly queasy expression. 

Virgil had been a bit hesitant about going on an adventure not only with Remus but in his side of the imagination. He knew Remus wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, of course, would destroy anything that threatened to hurt any of them, but he wasn’t always in complete control of the creatures in the wild.

But he knew how much it meant to Remus that he say yes, and Deceit coming too helped ease his concerns. Between the three of them, he was confident they could take down any monster they came across. 

It was surprisingly… nice. It was slightly creepy, sure, and definitely weird, but not in a scary, gory, way. Not in the way Virgil had imagined, or seen, in the few glimpses he’d gotten in the past. 

The trees had eyes that blinked and watched, peeking out of impossibly dark hollows, glowing from the leaves, maybe they were the leaves. There were little snapdragons, that actually snapped at them and flapped their little leaves when they got close, having tiny eyes on mandibles, like hermit crabs. There were also vibrant Venus Fly Trap plants that twined up the trees like ivy, waving in the soft breeze like balloons on a tether, colored dark pink with purple “mouths”, complete with tongues and rows of sharp little teeth. Old cobwebs covered the canopy of the forest, sparkling and glittering silver in the sun, like tinsel. 

The colors of everything were slightly off, as well. A strange mix of oversaturated and almost too opaque. It made for an interesting dynamic, one that Virgil couldn’t quite get used to, couldn’t quite stop staring at, fascinated by the differences. 

“Here we are!” Remus called, jogging ahead through a break in the trees, unable to contain his excitement. Virgil and Milo exchanged a look before going on ahead, breaking through the trees to find themselves in a surprisingly lush meadow. Though looking closely, Virgil snorted, nudging Milo, realizing each blade of grass was shaped like a penis. 

“What’re we lookin at?” Virgil screeched as Remus’s voice came from directly over his shoulder, causing him to jump. Milo just chuckled. 

“How did you even-“ Virgil swore, remembering that they could sink in and out, and he must have teleported right behind him. 

“We were looking at your grass and the… not surprising form it has taken.” Milo replied, suppressing his laughter as Remus’s eyes lit up. 

“So glad you noticed! I made it just for you, Virgey Wirgey!” Virgil just rolled his eyes again, petting one of the little fluffy birds, smiling as one of the others hissed and snapped at Remus’s teasing fingers. 

“yeah, yeah, what’re we here to see, again?” He asked, looking up at Remus, who grinned. A real grin, not his usual, manic expression. 

“Right! Let’s get settled first!” He clapped his hands, and a large picnic blanket patterned with buts wearing boxers saying things like “juicy” and “eat me” on them appeared spread across the ground. Remus jumped onto the blanket and laid down, a pillow appearing behind his head. Excitedly, he patted the ground on either side of him, looking a bit like a fish out of water flopping on land. 

“Ok, ok, we’re coming.” Virgil huffed, laying down on one side of Remus, smiling as a pillow appeared under his head, the same occurring with Milo as soon as he laid down. 

“Ready? Are you ready like a house that has been doused in gasoline and the gas lines have been cut and the fuse box is shorting out and you’re inside and about to light a cigarette? Or like a rocket ship who’s engine’s are failing just as they’re about to reenter the atmosphere and now you’re coming in at the wrong angle and everything is about to be torn apart and obliterated by the heat and void of space? Or-“ 

“We’re ready, Ree.” Milo interrupted softly, scooting closer so he could rest his head against Remus’s arm, the contact helping to soothe the endless racing of Remus’s mind, giving him something real to focus on. 

“Right! Ok, close your eyes!” Deceit narrowed his, but did as he was told. Virgil eyed him for a moment. 

“I’m trusting you on this, but I swear to god, Remus, if you screw with me now I will kill you.” Virgil muttered, closing his eyes, ignoring the niggling fear and doubt in the back of his head that was only exaserbated by the darkness and the not knowing, until he could feel his palms getting clammy, his heart starting to speed as he imagined everything that could be happening in the field around them. 

“Ok. You can open them now.” Remus said, voice surprisingly soft, a bit of hesitance in it, a bit of worry, and Virgil realized it was over what they would think. He shouldn’t have. 

Deceit let out a soft gasp as he opened his eyes, roving over the sky, over every inch of it. He heard Virgil’s echoing sound a moment later, and a soft “holy shit” as he inhaled sharply. 

The day had turned to a deep, midnight blue night. And stars, stars absolutely lit up the entire sky. They winked in and out, sparkled in silvers, golds, violets, blues, greens, every color on the conceivable and inconceivable spectrum. They were bright and shimmering and incredibly, amazingly, beautiful. 

“See that, there?” They followed Remus’s finger as he traced out a pattern of glowing, golden stars. “That’s The Serpent. And there,” He trailed his finger across the sky, brief lines flaring to life, connecting the dots between the stars. “That’s The Storm Cloud.” Purple stars formed the outline of Virgil’s logo, the cloud with a lightning bolt.   
“There’s me, The Duke.” The outline of Virgil’s logo faded, and green stars connected to become Remus’s ensign. 

They listened, rapt, as Remus traced out the constellations, lines flaring to life and disappearing as he connected the dots, revealing memories, moments, emotions, captured in the stars. 

His Morningstar, Roman’s sword, clashing in the sky. Heterochromatic eyes stared down at them, an echo of Virgil’s own. The silouhette of a caped figure, hat pulled low over his face. 

The logo’s of each of the others lit up the sky in turn. Patton’s cat onesie and Logan’s unicorn onesie standing back to back. Roman’s silouhette with his arms flared dramatically, the pose he always rose up in. The outline of all of them, together, on the couch. The outline of Remus, Virgil, and Milo, laughing as they sat on Deciet’s bed. Virgil walking towards a door, two hands reaching out. The three of them embracing, back together. 

It was a slideshow of their lives, of their turmoil and triumphs, their sorrows and laughter, it was their history written in the stars, proud and bright and defiant and challenging, and when Remus finally finished pointing out all the constellations he could think of, they simply sat in awed silence, watching shooting stars flash across the sky, watching the bright lights ebb and flow, watching them spark and dance, so much more real and there than any other stars they’d ever seen. 

“So. What… what do you think?” Remus asked softly, voice a bit strained. He’d worked so, so hard, to make this perfect, to make something they’d like, and sure, he’d thrown in a plane crashing into a building, the titanic sinking as people jumped overboard, a kraken destroying a seaside town, but those were just to soothe his own mind so he could go back to placing the important stars, making sure every outline was just right, the dots would connect just so. 

“Oh, Ree. It’s just… I mean… it’s wonderful.” Virgil murmured, at a loss for words, busy soaking up every inch, every flicker of the sky, tracing the outlines of constellations with his own eyes, remembering moments he hadn’t thought about in years, not since leaving. He felt the arm he was laying on squeeze his shoulder once in thanks, or relief, he wasn’t sure which. He’d long since moved closer, resting his head against Remus’s shoulder, Remus’s arm wrapped around him protectively. He knew Milo was in a similar position on the other side of Remus, their eyes occasionally meeting as they glanced at the other in wonder. 

“It’s perfect, Remus. It really is.” Milo replied, forcing all the sincerity in the world into his voice, determined Remus know he meant it. He heard Remus let out a soft breath, somewhere between a sigh and a sob, but when Milo looked up, Remus was smiling, despite the tears tracking down his face. 

“I made this. I made this and it’s good. It’s not all twisted and wrong and dark and evil and I made it for you and you like it.” He whispered, closing his eyes against the tears, happiness radiating through his body, fluttering in his stomach like maggots trying to eat their way out.

“Ree, just because your darker thoughts doesn’t mean you don’t make beautiful things. You make them all the time. You make things just as good as Roman. You make things better than Roman. This… this is better than anything he’s ever made.” Virgil murmured. Remus felt him shift closer, curl against his side with a massive yawn, the little Virgilings hissing in annoyance at the movement, before settling around his head. 

“It’s true, Remus. It’s better than anything Roman could dream, because you made it. You did this. You thought to do this. The woods, the plants, the trees? It was all beautiful, Ree. Not despite the darkness. Because of it. Because of you.” He opened his eyes, meeting Milo’s almost glowing goldens, biting his lip and looking so… small. 

“mean it?” A smile tugged at the corner of Milo’s lips. 

“Would I ever lie to you?” Remus scoffed, rolling his eyes, but he was smiling too, because he could always tell, and Deceit was telling the truth. 

“If you don’t want to make the trek back, we can stay here, tonight. I know it gets a little turbulent, if have a bad dream, but with the two of you here, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.” 

“I will physically fight your bad dreams if they decide to bother you tonight.” Virgil’s muffled voice could be heard from where he’d tucked himself against Remus’s side, already sounding half asleep. 

“I think that is a fine idea, Remus. Besides, we know how to help if you do have a nightmare. We can handle it.” Milo assured softly, settling his head on Remus’s chest, sighing in content as Remus summoned a soft, fluffy blanket over the three of them. 

Eventually Milo, too, drifted off to sleep, despite his desire to continue to watch the sky for eternity. When he sleepily mumbled something along those lines, Remus chuckled, and tucked the blanket tighter around him. 

“They’ll still be there whenever you want to see them, DeeDee.” He whispered, impulsively kissing the Side’s scaly cheek. Not a loud, sloppy kiss, like he’d usually do to tease. A soft, fatherly kiss, the kind that said you’re safe, and I love you. Milo let out a soft sigh, smiling as he fell asleep. 

Remus stayed awake a long, long while after that, looking up at the sky, his sky, at the story written there, at the history shared, and contemplated how the hell he’d gotten so lucky as to be here, with them, now. 

But after an hour, he felt his own eyes drift closed, lulled by the two heartbeats he could feel against his own, the steady rise and fall of the other’s chests, the soft warmth radiating from the two of them.

He was sure, absolutely sure, he was going to die of happiness, from the love filling his heart, the giddiness bursting through his chest, the voices in his head so much quieter, with all this warmth surrounding him, and the only word he could think was safe, safe, safe. And the sweetest thing, the sweetest bit of knowledge, was knowing this wasn’t a dream. 

Tomorrow morning they’d wake up sore from sleeping on the ground, stiff from being curled up, tired from staying up so late, but they’d be together and laughing and happy. 

And that… well. That was all he’d ever really wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> Here comes more fluff with Remus! I just wanted to write our favorite dark sides hanging out together, I love these three.


End file.
